I've installed a bunch of these things for clients over the years, and here's my take:
- They're great if you're tech-savvy and patient enough to fine-tune every little detail.
- But honestly, I've seen plenty of folks (myself included) who just set it to manual mode after a month of frustration.
- Had a client once whose thermostat thought their dog walking around at night meant someone was home and kept blasting heat at 2 AM... not exactly ideal.
I think part of the problem is manufacturers trying to cram in too many "smart" features that most people don't really need or want. Maybe the better question is: what features would actually make these thermostats useful without turning them into annoying gadgets you have to constantly babysit? Curious if anyone's found a model that actually nails this balance.
"Had a client once whose thermostat thought their dog walking around at night meant someone was home and kept blasting heat at 2 AM... not exactly ideal."
Haha, that sounds familiar. Had a similar issue with a client's cat triggering the motion sensor—ended up with the AC kicking on full blast in the middle of winter. Not fun for their energy bill.
But honestly, I've found that some of the newer models have gotten better at balancing smart features without going overboard. Recently installed one that lets you easily disable certain sensors or set sensitivity levels, which solved the pet-triggered midnight heating issue pretty neatly. Also, scheduling has improved a lot—it's intuitive enough now that even my least tech-savvy clients can set it and forget it.
I get your point about manufacturers cramming in unnecessary bells and whistles, but I think they're slowly figuring out what actually matters to users. Maybe it's less about ditching smart features altogether and more about making them simpler and more customizable?
Yeah, I've noticed the newer ones are definitely getting smarter about pets and random movements. Had a client recently who was skeptical at first, but after tweaking the sensitivity settings, they ended up loving it. Still, I wonder if manufacturers could do more to educate users upfront about these customization options... seems like a lot of folks don't even realize they're there until something goes wrong. Have you guys found clients generally open to learning these settings, or do they mostly just want it to work straight outta the box?
I've found most people just want it to work right away. Had a friend who almost returned hers because it kept adjusting weirdly when her dog wandered around. Once I showed her the sensitivity settings, she was sold...but yeah, clearer instructions upfront would definitely help.
Hmm, but isn't that kind of the issue? If a device needs you to tweak settings right away to avoid frustration, is it really user-friendly? I love smart home tech, but maybe they're still a bit too fiddly for some folks...?
